We take a look at the meaning of a ‘provincial fan’ of K-pop as BTS star Jimin touches on what these members of the ARMY mean to him.
This March, Jimin stopped by YouTube channel PIXID to feature in an episode of their Imposter series. This show sees K-pop idols try their best to hide their identity in a group chat full of fans. The fans then have to try and guess the “imposter” amongst them.
The latest episode with Jimin invited some BTS provincial fans to the studio. This has led to some curiosity about the meaning of this fandom term. Let’s take a look.
What is the meaning of a ‘provincial K-pop fan’?
A ‘provincial fan’ of K-pop music is one who lives outside of Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is the capital of the country and is where many of the K-pop artists live and more frequently perform.
South Korea has a total land area of around 100,339 km² (38,741 mi²), which is almost the same size as Kentucky. Its capital lies to the north west of the country.
The majority of BTS performances take place in Seoul. Sometimes they occur in Busan, a city in the south of the country, but this is a rare occurrence. For example, on the Love Yourself World Tour there were several dates in South Korea, but none in any other city in the country. This means that many members of the BTS ARMY found it difficult to see the band in their own country.
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Provincial fans share what BTS mean to them
In the PIXID Imposter episode, the provincial K-pop fans shared on the group chat what their favorite bands meant to them.
A fan nicknamed “Overseas Trip” – a nod to the vacation they could’ve taken with the money spent on seeing her favorite music acts – said: “It’s just happiness. They protect my burnout.”
“I get really teary talking about this, but I go through hard times thanks to them. I want to return the love because they gave me so much,” a fan nicknamed “Last Train Cinderella” admitted.
Jimin reacts to the BTS provincial fans
The fans’ answers in the Imposter video moved Jimin to tears. As the fangirls all agreed, “Let’s do K-Pop for life,” the singer could be seen wiping away tears from his eyes.
“I didn’t want to joke around in that moment,” Jimin explained. “I think I was immersed in what they were saying.”
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